When Judy Ford was in her 50s, she received a gift certificate for knitting lessons. She thought it would be a good hobby to start, so she went to the classes and learned the basics. But when the pattern called for more complicated maneuvers, frustration set in and she froze.

“I was a miserable failure,” Ford says. “I couldn’t seem to get the knack.”

When she retired and moved to St. Paul in 2005, she decided to give knitting a second chance. With more time to devote to her craft, she enjoyed her lessons. She mastered strokes. She made friends. She finished projects. Now 67, Ford continues to knit – and learn about knitting.

Older learners like Ford are taking up skills often mastered in childhood – from knitting to swimming to learning a foreign language – and are having a blast. If these learners share at least one common attitude, it’s this: Class isn’t over until you die.

“The good news is that it’s never too late – the brain is always capable of making new connections, wiring new circuits,” says Dr. David Walsh, president of the National Institute on Media and the Family. “The challenging news is that it is more difficult, so it takes more patience when we’re older.”

While grade-school years offer the best window of opportunity to learn physical and language skills, people never stop learning, says Barbara Thompson, student teacher coordinator and lecturer in the education program and exercise science at the College of St. Catherine.

The adage “use it or lose it” applies to the brain, so don’t hesitate to try new things, Walsh says.

Jim Martin, a coordinator in the St. Paul Public Schools community education program, says new adult students in aquatics and driver’s education include a mix of people born here and new immigrants. And they have different motivations.

“In driver’s ed, it’s the need to be someplace or to a job,” Martin says. “With swimming, it’s another personal skill they’d like to acquire.”

Local experts say certain qualities can help make learning as an adult more successful:

Make it a community endeavor. Often, adults benefit from and look forward to the social aspect of classes. The Yarnery in St. Paul, for example, offers a monthly men’s knitting night.

Save space to make mistakes. You can fix your errors. There are many ways to accomplish the same goal, says Shelly Sheehan, manager of the Yarnery.

Find an encouraging, fun environment. It’s not life or death, so enjoy. The University of St. Thomas offers people 55 and older the opportunity to take undergraduate classes not for credit, including courses in foreign language, theology, art history and history (for $25 a semester, space permitting). “It’s a heck of a deal,” says Sister Marie Herbert Seiter, director of the Center for Senior Citizens Education at the University of St. Thomas.

Set realistic expectations. “If I pick up a violin at age 50, I am probably not going to develop the skill of someone who has played his entire life,” Walsh says. “Take pleasure in progress. Don’t let perfection become the enemy.”

In the end, “to be successful, you have to understand you have the right to learn,” Martin says. “The world is a world of lifelong learners.”

Rhoda Fukushima can be reached at rgfukushima@pioneerpress.com or 651-228-5444.

LEARNING TIPS

Martha Bigelow, an associate professor in the department of curriculum and instruction in the area of second languages and cultures education at the University of Minnesota, suggests taking these actions when learning a new skill as an adult:

Avoid negative self-talk and self-defeating attitudes.

Go with a friend.

Be prepared to make learning a long-term endeavor.

Offer suggestions to the instructor, share resources with others in class. Feel confident that you, too, can contribute to the learning environment.

Seek different environments in which to learn, including real-life, face-to-face settings, which can be immensely helpful to people learning another language.

Have a sense of humor.

As you comment, please be respectful of other commenters and other viewpoints. Our goal with article comments is to provide a space for civil, informative and constructive conversations. We reserve the right to remove any comment we deem to be defamatory, rude, insulting to others, hateful, off-topic or reckless to the community. See our full terms of use here.

More in Things to Do

The French architect Emmanuel Louis Masqueray was particular about sound when he designed the Cathedral of St. Paul and the Basilica of St. Mary in Minneapolis. Not long after the turn of the century, Masqueray built St. Paul’s Church on the Hill. The Summit Avenue church, built in 1912, soon could open its doors to performing arts shows as well...

Minnehaha Mile — a stretch of shops along Minnehaha Avenue and some offshoot streets nearby — is an emerging shopping district in Minneapolis’ Longfellow neighborhood like no other. The area is home to quirky, locally owned shops with plenty of heart and soul. The area is especially a destination for shopping antique, vintage, repurposed and upcycled pieces as well as specialty stores....

Layli Long Soldier’s “Whereas” is winner of the $75,000 PEN/Jean Stein Book Award, one of the largest literary prizes in the country. The debut collection was among PEN American Literary Awards announced Tuesday at an evening ceremony at New York University. Published by Minneapolis-based Graywolf Press, “Whereas” confronts the coercive language of the United States government in its responses, treaties...

Jessica Chung was in the fourth grade when her mother taught her the art of calligraphy. The elegance of the script appealed to her then just as it does now. “I’ve always had a natural tendency toward art and creative things,” says Chung. It was only after finishing her schooling and getting settled in her career, however, that Chung had...

Pink Floyd’s 1979 double album “The Wall” spawned several tours and books, a feature film, an opera and now … a ballet. Twin Cities Ballet of Minnesota is staging “Pink Floyd’s The Wall: A Rock Ballet” March 1 through 3 at the Cowles Center in downtown Minneapolis. And tickets are going fast. “Demand has been unprecedented,” said TCB co-artistic director...